Connection
by Sky-Pirate-Tat
Summary: His bike destroyed, Kevin is devastated until Double D offers to help him make a new bike.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I wrote this because in the fandom a lot of times people focus on them already being boyfriends or there is the plot that Edd helps Kevin study and that's how they get together. I wanted to try something different. I wanted to show bonding over something together. This is inspired by the episode From Here to Ed. Well. I hope this is believable but most of all I hope you, reader have a good time. Pick up a chair, take off your coat and stay awhile.

X

"Oh dear."

All of the Eds blanched as they watched Kevin's motorcycle combust: the final, if unintentional product of their latest scheme.

The trio had stood back at the explosion but Kevin stayed in place, shocked, his hair singed by the pyre.

"Eddy, I fear we may- we _did_- go too far. Kevin's bike is beyond disrepair, it's-"

But all Eddy was concerned about this moment was running away, bolting before Kevin could turn around and sock him good.

"Shh, Double D. Or you will awaken the beast!" Ed commented. The only calm one out of the three.

"I'm afraid we may be too late for that." Edd sighed. If he had predicted that Eddy's scheme would pan out like this, he would have declined. It was a vicious pattern. He told himself this each time a scheme turned dry, but come the next day Eddy would jerk him right back to his side with a new scheme.

Would it always be this way? He wondered. Kevin turned around and Edd beamed reassuringly. Of course, the first step was to apologize. He approached the redhead, prepared to express remorse, but found himself for the first time at a loss for words. The rage in Kevin's eyes scared him and he swallowed, feeling small under his gaze.

"Outta my way!"

That's all he said. He swung high at Double D's eye and walked past. There was an emptiness in his step amid the blind rage. Even his punch felt passionless, as if everything he cared about was gone and nothing else mattered. Edd's eye burned with the contact.

X

The next morning, Edd rose before his alarm clock. Although it was the middle of summer break he habitually set his alarm, paranoid he would accidentally sleep in, unlike his friends. Eddy and Ed wouldn't be up until maybe noon. Normally, Edd spent his Saturday mornings counting the ants in his ant farm and reading a nice thick book, but the image of Kevin and his beyond-repair bike burned in his mind. His hand went over his right eye, swollen and he imagined, black and blue.

After his shower (and grabbing an icepack from the fridge for his eye), Edd was certain what he had to do. He rolled out a blank blue piece of drafting paper and smoothed it out on his drafting table. He worked tirelessly until eleven thirty, the perfect time if Kevin was like most of the kids in the cul de sac and liked to sleep in. Double D couldn't understand the concept of sleeping past the recommended eight hours. It only made him more tired and wasted hours in an otherwise new, thrilling day.

X

Edd hesitated to knock on the door. He had worked earnestly on the blueprints since seven this morning and managed the courage to walk across the street to his neighbor's house.

But he hesitated.

His black eye throbbed fiercely, reminding him of his fear that Kevin would decide to add another. Despite this, he had decided to help Kevin. He had to. He had to set things right. Even if it was more Eddy's fault, he had decided to go along with the scam, just like he always did.

Edd wondered how Eddy could sleep in with Kevin's bike on his conscience and made a mental note to stop by his friend's house afterwards to talk sense into him.

Right now, he had yet to knock on the door in front of him. He raised his hand,but the door opened before he could have a chance to knock. The redhead stopped mid-step, nearly running him over.

"What do you want, Dork?" Kevin raised a brow and crossed his arms. Green eyes wandered over Edd's face, recognizing his punch had left a mark, but said nothing.

"Good morning, Kevin. Pardon my intrusion, I came over to-"

Rolling his eyes, uninterested, Kevin shoved past Edd. He should have known better than to ask.

Determined, Double D chased after him, talking as the boy picked up the newspaper and checked the mail.

"As I was saying. I felt terrible about-"

"I really don't want to hear it right now." He slammed the mailbox closed, the handful of letters crunched in a vice grip. Seeing Edd still there, he rolled up his sleeve as a hint towards his next action.

The threat, strangely, didn't scare Edd as much as he thought it would. Rather, it made him snap. He had taken the time to make amends and Kevin wasn't giving him the time to do so. He was making that clear.

"No. You listen here, Mister." He wagged his finger, to which Kevin cheekily grinned, still not taking him seriously.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Edd shouted.

The smile dropped. Kevin was listening. He recognized the tone, having seen it used many a time on Eddy. He never dreamed it would ever be used on him, but he never expected Edd to stop by either, not after he gave him a black eye. Whatever reason Edd had caoe over for, it had to be important, he realized.

"I'm listening," he said, trying to sound casual, to hide his slight discomfort. The way Edd was talking to him reminded him of his mom.

Edd took slow, deep breaths, regaining his composure before he unfurled the blueprint and held it in front of Kevin. "Perhaps it cannot replace your bike, but it could right the wrongs I inadvertently caused you."

Without asking, Kevin snatched the blueprints from Double D's hands, his face literally pressed against the paper. "Nice. . ."

Edd smiled at the praise, hopeful.

Peering over the paper, Kevin asked, eyes glancing wildly at the trees and bushes, "Where's the other dorks?"

"They are absent. It's just me, Kevin."

"So this isn't a scam?"

"Rest assured, it is not." The end of his sentence ended in a biting tone. Edd could use a hiatus from Eddy and his preposterous schemes and pipe dreams. "If you need assistance, I would be delighted to help."

"Great. Then you'll be covering the costs too."

"W-"

Kevin handed back the blueprints, but not before giving it one last look. "Meet back at my place at three. That will give you enough time to grab everything, yeah?"

Edd's raised a finger, "I never agreed to pay-"

"You said it yourself: you owe me."

Edd's retort caught in his throat, ". . .three o'clock will be a satisfactory time to reconvene."

Kevin slapped Edd hard on the back as he walked past him, nearly knocking him off balance. "See ya." He closed the door behind him, leaving Edd with the first steps to their project.

X

At exactly three, not a minute or second sooner or later, Edd knocked on Kevin's door.

"Come in, Dork," Kevin greeted on the third knock. Edd followed after him, hands full with two brown paper bags brimming with bike parts.

"You can leave those in the hall for now. Did you eat lunch yet?"

Setting the bags down, Edd answered, "I have, but a refreshing beverage would be nice. Thank you."

"Okay. Dad made sweet tea. Is that cool? Er. You don't have to take your shoes off. We're going to work on the bike outside."

Edd paused, one of his shoes in his hands, wearing a deer-in-headlights expression. "But I would be tracking in dirt-"

"Yeah yeah. Don't remind me, Mom."

Edd narrowed his eyes at his teasing but let it pass, preferring to pick his battles. He took off the other shoe and followed Kevin, shoes in hand, smiling weakly when he regarded the shoes again with a raised brow.

"How long do you think it will take to finish it?"

"I estimate three weeks."

Kevin stopped at the fridge to prepare Edd's drink. Knowing that Edd was still behind him, waiting, he pointed past the fridge toward the door. "Backyard is that way. I'll be there with the drinks and one of the bags."

"Would you like me to go back for one of the two bags, then?"

"Don't sweat it. You're already carrying your shoes." He snickered.

Edd breathed in, reminding himself that Kevin's mother would secretly thank him for not dirtying her floors.

Once outside, he sat down on the porch to briefly put his shoes back on. He looked at his surroundings as he tied the laces. The backyard was expansive, as was the porch he was sitting on. A patio table was on his left, glass top glinting in the summer sun. The umbrella for the table was cast to the side, the stem snapped in half; most likely damaged in the strong thunderstorm last week. A few inches away from the broken umbrella was a barbeque grill, remnants of disintegrated charcoal peeking from the corner. To his right was a minibar neighboring a hot tub, the tarp tightly affixed to it. Edd wondered why Kevin's parents invested in a hot tub and not a swimming pool, given the infamously hot summers the cul de Sac faced.

"It came with the house," Kevin said from behind him. Edd jerked out of his thoughts, then yelped, feeling something cold press against the back of his neck.

"Here's your tea." Kevin laughed at his reaction while handing the glass to him. Beads of perspiration were already rolling off the glass.

Momentarily the redhead disappeared again, to return with both the bags Edd had brought with him. Unlike Edd, Kevin carried them with ease, artfully darting down the steps without spilling any contents.

They went over the blueprints before picking up any tools. The whole time, Edd noticed something different about Kevin, or rather, something that had been there all along that he hadn't noticed until now. His eyes were bright and wide, imagination kindling from his irises. Normally Kevin passed himself off as smooth. Working on the bike, his facade faded. His characteristic smirk was overtaken by a wide, childish smile that reached his ears.

It was the look of someone following their passion.

Edd's cheeks pinked and he hoped Kevin would mistake it for sunburn. While they spoke of mechanisms and springs and wrenches, his thoughts drifted to how Kevin carried the bags for him, and offered him something to drink. He was careful not to think too deeply on it, focusing only on his surprise that the jock didn't treat him like his genius servant, but a guest. He was too cautious to use the word friend. Kevin could be friendly to anyone, Edd was sure, and Edd was expendable, providing a service as an apology.

In three weeks, Kevin would have a new bike and Edd would be with his friends again, just like it had always been and would be.

The sun began to set when Kevin's dad came home from work and his mom called him in for dinner.

"Day went by quickly," Kevin commented. Edd nodded in response, attention turned to smell of the Mexican casserole calling from the kitchen.

"Shall I see you tomorrow?" Edd asked.

"Come by anytime."

Edd assumed Kevin couldn't wait to finish his bike. He left through the back gate and went towards his house, his stomach growling sharply at him. Up ahead, he saw his house. His spirits sank seeing all the lights were off. Usually, loneliness didn't strike him. As an only child, he learned to preoccupy himself with books and inventions and most especially the company of his friends Ed and Eddy. But seeing Kevin depart into the kitchen, the shadows of the boy's parents greeting him as they laughed and plated dinner, and the savory smell that had wafted from the oven. . .

In comparison, the meal, awaiting him in the fridge, leftovers, was unsatisfactory. Though the meals his mom left were homemade, they were missing two important things: her and his father. Sharing a meal was an intimate act, and Edd envied his neighbor for it.

X

"Hey, sockhead!" Eddy barged in with Ed lumbering behind.

"Good evening, Ed. Eddy." He was elbows deep in sink water, rinsing dishes, and grateful for the impromptu visit. It would take his mind off his family- and he had something important to speak to Eddy about. He unplugged the drain and dried his hands with a nearby towel.

"Where were ya all day?" Surprise washed over Eddy's face, "And what happened to your eye?"

"I was helping Kevin with his new bicycle. Where were you? I had hoped you would apologize to him."

Hands in pockets and shoulders hunched, Eddy replied, "Apologize for what?" His tone was jagged, annoyed, more concerned with why Edd had spent time with the jock.

"For obliterating his bike. I can't imagine you have forgotten already?" Double D's arms were crossed and he raised a knowing eyebrow to his friend.

"Whatever. He deserved it. You've seen all those times he screwed me over. Besides, he'll get a new bike anyway. His dad works for a jawbreaker factory, so he's got to be loaded."

"I believe the roles were switched those other times," Double D retorted, unamused by Eddy's selective memory. "And you should know- I am _helping_ him make a new bike. His parents didn't buy him one."

Eddy's jaw dropped. "Why are you doing that?!" he shouted in surprise. Both Ed and Double D covered their ears.

"It is my way of apologizing. However, you have yet to make amends for your actions. Just a simple apology would suffice."

Eddy quickly changed the subject. "You didn't tell us what happened to your eye."

"The beast got him, Eddy!" Ed answered.

Edd poked his fingers together uneasily. "Yesterday evening when you left, I attempted to talk to Kevin. However, I only tested his nerves."

". . .And you're helping him make a bike after all that?"

Double D nodded humbly.

"I don't get you."

"Double D. . ." Ed rested his head on his shoulder, eyes locked on the black eye. "Can I poke it?"

Edd frowned. "Please don't." He almost felt bad watching Ed's expression sink, but as soon as his spirits fell they lifted again, spotting the chickens in Rolf's backyard, visible through the kitchen window.

At eight, Edd excused himself, leading his friends to the door to say goodbye. Eddy didn't ask why he was going to bed earlier than usual, sure that his suspicions were correct. Ed didn't care either way and hugged Double D. Closing the door behind them, Edd smiled, looking forward to tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

He sprang out of bed early, filled with zeal at the promise of working on the bike with Kevin again. His concerns from last night (his absent parents) he placed on the backburner, where they didn't gnaw at him. The only disappointment he allowed himself to feel was that Kevin wouldn't be up until noon, like yesterday.

He had decided to head to the garage after breakfast to tinker with some inventions until Kevin woke. However, in the middle of his blueberry waffle egg sandwich someone knocked on the door.

He checked his watch- 8:36.

It was hard for him to hypothesize who it could be. He could rule out the mailman- it was Sunday- and the morning paper was already on the kitchen table. He had just finished the front page article, a story about the repairs being made on the history museum. The only plausible person on the other side of the door was one of his fellow neighbors, but who else besides him didn't sleep in on summer break?

Apparently, Kevin, Edd learned upon answering the door.

"Didn't expect me, did ya?" He leaned smugly against the door frame.

"I am accustomed to those in our age group sleeping past the recommended eight hours."

"Well." He scratched the back of his neck. "Normally I do sleep in but I couldn't, man. You ready to come over?"

Edd smiled, thankful he could vent his creative spark where he wanted it. Not that he didn't appreciate his inventions awaiting him in his garage. He simply wasn't in the correct mood for them. "I thought you would never ask."

X

They had stopped at the store for more parts after his breakfast and jog-walked enthusiastically back to Kevin's house. After a short discussion of their goal for the day, they worked silently, in sync with each other. The only time Edd looked away from the task at hand was when he heard the bushes rustle and snicker. Edd sighed dryly. If Eddy had the time to snoop, surely he had time to admit his wrongdoing? Not to mention spying was not very admirable.

Jonny stopped by around noon. Without a clock to go by, Edd had to rely on the position of the sun and his internal clock. Jonny had climbed over the fence clumsily and waved to them both. Edd stopped to greet him but Kevin continued to work, merely looking over his shoulder to lazily say, "Hey."

Plank was cradled in Jonny's right arm. In his left hand he carried something with a dull shine. That made Kevin stand up with a gasp.

"Plank found this. He says she was looking for you."

"She" was a broken handlebar from Kevin's bike. The handle was covered in scratches and the edges were charred. It was barely distinguishable, except to Kevin. Kevin who memorized every part of his bike. He snatched the remanent from Jonny's hand, not asking where he found it or how it had survived combustion. He was just happy a part of his bike was still with him.

"Thanks Jonny."

Jonny laughed. "Don't thank me. Thank Plank!"

Kevin glanced at Edd, who nodded, silently promising him he wouldn't tease him. Awkwardly, Keivn regarded the hunk of wood. "Thanks, Man."

There was a collective silence, all eyes on Plank, and then to Jonny for translation. Oblivious to this, Jonny cocked him head to the side and excused himself, saying they had to run an errand for Plank's parents. Edd wondered what two pieces of lumber could need, but decided he'd rather not ask or delve deep into Jonny's psychology. He tried once and it disturbed him.

Watching Jonny walk away, Edd said, "I'm sorry it happened."

"It's okay." Kevin pocketed the handlebar. "My dad said it was about time I got a new bike. Said I outgrew the old one."

"That bike must have meant a lot for you to delay acquiring a new one."

"Yeah. . ." He took off his red cap to wipe his brow. He hesitated to put it back on, looking at the cap fondly, his other prized possession. "It was my first bike, Double D."

Edd expected that to be the end of the story but he continued. "Before me and my folks moved to the suburbs, we lived in the city. I wanted a bike so badly, or just to play outside, but we lived in a cramped apartment and the streets had too much traffic for my mom and dad to feel comfortable. It's not like here. . ." He waved his arm to demonstrate. "We didn't have a backyard."

He set his cap back on and motioned for Edd to follow him, back to work on the bike. It was only at the end of Kevin's story that Double D realized he wanted him to continue. He reluctantly went back to the bike, his gaze occasionally shifting to Kevin as they labored. He wondered what else he didn't know about the redhead. Did he have friends before he moved here? What was the city like?

He wondered why he wanted to know so badly. It seemed to be more than mere curiosity about a friend. Friends took their time to allow the layers to unravel. However, at this moment Edd was ravenous, aching to know Kevin as much as he could. He had never reacted to any individual like this before. . . the closest would be Eddy, but he had known Eddy for years before he reached this point. . .

Edd stopped and shook his head, sifting out a disturbing thought that had drifted in his head. _This is just temporary, _he reminded himself.

"I used to live in another suburb," Edd said. His nerves tingled, and he berated himself inwardly for giving into his selfish thoughts, for giving into the idea that he could become closer to the boy with just that string of conversation to start.

Kevin raised his eyes only briefly. "Oh yeah?"

Edd nodded, though he wasn't watching him, forcing his focus on screwing in bolts. "Would you pass me the allen wrench, please?"

Wordlessly, he passed the tool to Edd and stopped, his grip on the tool firm even as Edd took it in his hands and tugged. Edd lifted his head up and their gaze met.

"Um, excuse me.?" he said, confused, tugging on the allen wrench, but Kevin did not relent.

"You're the first person to understand this, ya know?" he said quietly.

"I don't follow... understand what, exactly?" Edd blinked.

"Just. My bike." He rubbed the back of his neck, afraid to follow through with his train of thought. "Forget it," he snapped and turned away, his shoulders hunched up, as if to create a barrier from Edd.

"Whatever it is, Kevin, I won't laugh."

But Kevin never brought it up again.

At five, the bulk of the summer heat had passed. It remained hot, though now less balmy and humid, more like a relaxing sauna. Their bellies full with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (Kevin's parents were out, leaving them to make dinner for themselves), they were a little reluctant to work anymore. The bike was more than halfway done, to the point where it was looking more like a bike than a metal exoskeleton. Edd was surprised, and theorized that if they kept this pace they would be done by next week.

"I'm going to take a nap, dork. You can relax too, or go home. Whatever you want." He wandered to the patio hammock and fell into its cradle. It rocked him side by side by the force of his fall. He pulled the brim of his cap around and pulled it down to block the sun from his eyes, leaving Edd to wonder what to do with himself, if only briefly. He was glad he carried a small paperback book with him for the occasional lull in the day.

Edd took a spot under the shade of the small peach tree in Kevin's yard, that could only be seven years old from its moderate presence. The branches waved in the humid breeze, not yet weighed down by fruit. As he read, the leaves cast shadows on the crisp new pages. The light smell of the book filled his senses and gradually, he fell asleep too.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hurry up, Sockhead!"

"Evolution took more than a day, Eddy," Edd pointed out, making the final touches on an old creation revisited: jetpacks. He hoped that he had successfully worked out the flaws and was happy that this time the scheme involved fire extinguishers and not fire like last time. Perhaps there wouldn't be any repercussions this time.

But didn't he always tell himself this?

If Kevin wasn't out of town with his parents this weekend he wouldn't be here, shanghaied once again into one of Eddy's schemes. He wondered where his weakness lay. Did he feel like the scams put to use his creativity or did he just want to feel helpful? As ironic as the latter theory was, he feared it was true.

"So, you gonna tell me what you and Kevin have been up to?" Eddy said as he casually brushed dirt off his fingernails using his shirt.

"It is just as you have seen, Eddy. We are building a new bike. I should mention while we are on the subject that eavesdropping is not very admirable."

"Whatever." He kicked a can out of his sight. "Not like you guys say anything interesting anyway. So how long is this bike thing gonna last?"

Edd paused and crossed his arms, giving his friend a sidelong glance. "My, are you jealous, Eddy?"

"Don't hold your breath, fancy pants." There was the cusp of another sentence underneath, but Eddy held it in, somewhat embarrassed.

"I assure you my arrangement with Kevin is temporary." Edd stopped and turned back to the fire extinguisher jetpacks. What had started as playful banter suddenly stung. Yes, he had suspected, had told himself, that after Kevin had his bike, that would be that.

However, he didn't want that. To say the words aloud made the inevitable more permanent, unchangeable.

And why had Eddy chosen to be jealous now of all times? Edd's chest felt strangely vacant. He almost didn't care, refusing to cling to a shred of hope that his friend reciprocated his affection. He felt empty, realizing it didn't feel like the end of the world that the person he had pined for for years didn't like him as more than a friend.

Something had changed in the past three weeks, but exactly what he didn't want to pinpoint. It was painful enough, knowing it wouldn't last.

X

The day after Kevin came back, they went back to their temporary routine. It was when the sun started to set, casting forlorn golden hues, that they finished. The final product shone in the descending sun's light.

Kevin smiled. "Let's test her out now!"

"Now? But what about dinner? Your mother just called for you five minutes ago."

He shrugged. "I'll just eat the leftovers when I get back." He stopped and added as an afterthought, "Are you hungry?"

Edd shook his head, just as eager. Regardless, he felt guilty, keeping Kevin from his mother and father during dinner.

"Awesome! Let's go." He started toward the bike but Edd stopped him, grabbing his arm.

"I require a helmet, as do you."

Since he could remember, Kevin had never rode a bike with a helmet, and even before now - when they thought they only had differences- seeing him neglect basic bicycle safety had always made Edd nervous.

Once he had brought it up to the redhead, who had ignored him, choosing to shoot a sarcastic remark at him rather than gratitude.

Edd wouldn't let that make him back down again, not even if Kevin chose to insult him. He _cared _about him.

His answer surprised Edd.

"Sure. Let me grab one out my room."

Edd coughed. "And another one for yourself, Mister."

"Whatever, Double Dork. I guess it is getting dark out so no one will get to see me wearing a stupid helmet."

"_I_ will get to see you in a helmet," he teased.

"_And _you won't tell anyone about it."

Fair enough, Edd decided, triumphant.

Kevin returned from the house with two red helmets under his arms.

Edd immediately fastened one to his head, but even after their talk he had to prod the other boy again.

"You're not my mom," he muttered, mounting the bike. Edd smirked, _let Kevin insult me_, he thought, because he had won. His small win faded from his mind though, at the position he had placed himself in. He had put no thought to it at all; their talk had distracted him.

They were quiet now and he was sitting on the same seat behind the driver, their bodies the closest they had ever been.

"Wrap your arms around me, okay?" Kevin said, not thinking at all.

Edd heard it, thinking too much, face bright.

Shaking, he put his arms around his waist. The fabric of the green shirt felt worn and soft. When Kevin asked him what was wrong, he joked that he was afraid.

His grip was initially loose, but when Kevin took off it tightened instinctively. Maybe he wasn't used to riding bikes, but he could have sworn he was on a motorcycle. Kevin was a relentless rider, legs working the mechanics of the bike seemingly beyond their limits. He rode freely, without the confines of speed limit signs, and with no cars or people other than them out this late at night, he took advantage of that. A devilish smile was surely on his features, but who could tell? He only left the blur of his red cap behind, and tonight, an added blur of a black sock cap.

Edd pressed his cheek against Kevin's back without thinking, bracing himself against the whip of cold air, apprehension and more pounding in his chest. It felt like ages until the bike stopped, but when it finally did, relief didn't washed over him: rather, disappointment. He slowly extracted himself from the jock, hoping he hadn't been obvious. He looked down and grew dizzy- vertigo from moving so fast, and now, comparatively, at a snail's pace. He recognized these surroundings, even in night light: the factory that overlooked the cul de Sac on a hill, giving the illusion that they were tilting forward in a mudslide to the cul de sac below.

"We're trespassing," he hissed, anxious.

"We won't be out long," Kevin promised.

They stopped, looking at the scenery, or just using that as an excuse to procrastinate conversation. It was Edd who spoke first.

"Is the bike satisfactory?" He held his arms behind his back, choosing to look at his shoes- they didn't make him blush.

"Me gusta."

Redder. He scuffed his shoes into the grass, ordering his thoughts. "I have meant to say: your Spanish is surprisingly good. It doesn't grate my ears like Eddy's."

Kevin frowned at the mention of Eddy. "I learned from my babysitter. Back in the city. Crazy old lady would only talk to me in Spanish." If it wasn't for the softness in his voice, Edd would have mistook it for an insult. He called her a crazy old lady but he missed her, deeply. "I'm real rusty, ya know?"

"Your accent is intact," Double D offered.

"I guess. Man, when she visits though, it all comes back to me. Don't know why she only speaks to me in Spanish- she knows English. She talks to my folks in English. Why not me?"

"Perhaps she is more comfortable using her first language. You know it also, so it makes communication easier for her, no matter how fluent she is in her second language."

They stood again, silent, staring below, as if asking their neighborhood for the answers to whatever was on their mind.

"You promised we wouldn't be long," Edd said. He didn't want to say it, but lingering here only hurt more.

"Yeah, I did." Kevin turned around and hopped on the bike again. Double D hesitated, staring at the other on his now finished bike.

_He doesn't need me anymore._

Reluctantly he climbed on the bike behind Kevin, lacing his arms around his waist. This time, his grip was at first tight, clinging. As the ride went on he loosened his arms, wanting to but never letting go.

They stopped at his house. As usual, all the lights were off, contrasting with the other lit houses in the cul de Sac. He awkwardly dismounted the bike and nodded goodbye. His gaze turned up only for a moment before it turned down.

He caught a glimpse, a slight frown at the edge of Kevin's lips before facing his shoes and concrete.

"Hey."

He stopped and looked up, now facing his house. He didn't want to turn back.

Without his answer, Kevin continued. "Now that I think about it, I don't like the paint job we did. And I think the bike chain is loose."

"You did do your best to break it in tonight."

"My old bike could take more strain. This one still has problems."

Edd breathed deeply before turning around. "Yes, perhaps I did miscalculate a few things."

"Huh. So even geniuses fuck up."

"What is perfection without trial and error?" Edd answered without a beat, the frost in his insides thawing.

If he wasn't mistaken, if he knew the jock enough by now: his mannerisms and speech patterns; the way he masked the meaning of his words in layers, hoping they were translated, hoping they stayed hidden. The basket of complexities in his language.

It sounded like he didn't want this to end. Whatever this was.

Friendship?

That's all it would be, Edd reminded himself, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Why Kevin, if you wanted my company, you only need ask," he said playfully, masking his words too.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the summer slipped by lazily. Not much happened after the Eds accidentally destroyed Kevin's bike and the new one was completed. The days were simply hot without substance, but in late August the cul de Sac kids (save for Edd) dreaded the impending school year. School meant not doing whatever you wanted when you wanted to, despite that in the summer they never touched what they craved to do when confined within school walls.

Double D alternated days between Kevin and Ed and Eddy. On the latter days Kevin avoided them more than he usually had before. Edd preferred it- he didn't like scamming his new friend or hearing Eddy grit his teeth.

At this point, it was so late in the summer, Edd had given up trying to coax Eddy into apologizing to Kevin. He decided he had done his part and the rest was up to his friend. Not that Kevin cared either way; he seemed happier if the shortest of the Eds kept his distance.

He also hinted to Edd a few times that Kevin would be happier if Edd stopped "hanging out with those other dorks."

Edd had brushed those remarks the first two times, hoping that Kevin would get the hint that he didn't approve of distasteful comments towards his friends, but in the last week before school was to start, Edd snapped like a Venus Fly trap.

"They're my friends, Kevin," he said briskly, not looking up from his book.

The peach tree's limbs were sagging with ripe fruit. Double D wouldn't have minded if several peaches tumbled down onto Kevin's head as they shared the shade- he deserved it.

"Not good friends," Kevin retorted.

Edd closed his book, even forgetting to bookmark his place. "How would you know? They have been my friends ever since I moved here. Whereas _you _never took interest in me until it benefited you." If Edd wasn't riled up from the terse remark about his friends, he would have felt how it stung to say that sentence to Kevin. He would remember it later, and regret it.

He continued, "They are there when my parents are not. I love them-" He saw Kevin scrunch his face up; "-platonically," he clarified. "I appreciate your friendship, but if you're my friend, you have to respect my other relationships."

"Maybe I don't want to be friends with 'Skipper,'" he smirked, using Eddy's middle name.

Edd sighed. "While it would make things easier. . ." He rubbed his forehead, smoothing out the wrinkles but mostly his temper. "I don't require you and Eddy to be friends. I am simply asking that you are civil to each other." He raised his hands up, palms open. It wasn't too much to ask for, Edd thought, though the two boys made it more difficult than needed.

"How can you stand to hang out with them?" the redhead responded. "I mean. . . Shortstuff is loud and desperate for attention and Ed. . . smells. And I don't know what's his deal. He never makes sense."

"No one is free from flaws, Kevin." Double D smiled slightly before launching the next sentence. "Not even you."

"Oh yeah?" Kevin dared, almost playfully. He saw an opening to ease the argument out of dark waters, and though his cocky grins masked his worry, he was eager to land on more peaceful, less upsetting ground for Edd.

"Yes."

"Well. Spill it." He crossed his arms and cocked his head. "Come on, dork."

"I'm unsure if that would be wise. People as a general rule can't handle their mishaps being pointed out to them- especially those regarding their personalities."

"Whatever. Like I care what people think of me."

"But you do," Edd said quietly, stroking the spine of his book.

Kevin blanched and arched backwards without thinking, without covering up his surprise with an aloof glance.

Double D opened his book, as if to shield himself- a physical barrier or to signal a halt to conversation. "I warned you."

That was the last thing he wanted to say, but Kevin carried on.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?!"

"Temperamental," Edd added, turning the page.

He grit his teeth, not helping his case. "Got anything more to say?" he growled.

Without flinching or looking away from his book, Edd tapped the corner of his eye: the eye that had been black and blue only months ago.

The redhead stopped, eyes lingering on Edd's face. He had become accustomed to the bruise in such a short time, and then used to the lingering yellowing lines where there was once black and blue. It took no time at all to adapt to the dork having an unmarred face again, and it even slipped his mind that he had hit him.

He wondered how Edd could even call him a friend after what he had done at the beginning of the summer or the many times before then. And to say disparaging things about his friends? If Kevin were in Edd's place he wouldn't have stood for it. None of it.

His new bike was sitting under the shade with them, so as to not dull the paint in the summer sun.

He knew that Edd didn't have to help him with his bike, yet he had, without a parental nudge. He had helped him, knowing Kevin could hit him again if he chose.

Edd wasn't the type to lie, and maybe that was what infuriated Kevin: to hear the truth. The truth was that he didn't have a hold on his temper, and perhaps worse if he decided to prod for more constructive criticisms. The truth was harder to grasp than a lie- because at least with lies you could defend yourself against them, safe in the knowledge of their untruth.

Edd was scary.

Braver than him in some respects.

Well, he could be brave too, he decided.

"So you like me despite the bad stuff? Even though I hit you that one time?"

Edd's breath hitched for a moment at the word 'like.' Regaining his composure he nodded. "You, Ed, and Eddy are my dearest friends. Imperfections and redeeming qualities included."

Kevin took the book from Edd's hands, drawing his full attention. He breathed in, fingertips pressing against the edges of the book. "Look, Double D. . ." His eyes were downcast, lingering with regret, before raising up to meet Edd's resolutely.

"I'm sorry about what I did before. I'm never going to hit you again. Or your friends."

He slowly handed the book back to Double D but the tome slipped to the ground. Edd was shocked by Kevin's apology.

"W-why, Kevin, that's-"

A hand clamped down over his mouth. "Let's not talk about it, okay? Before I change my mind."

He released his hold on him and turned away, pulling his ballcap down, the brim poorly hiding the pink on his cheeks.


	5. Chapter 5

**-Freshman Year**

In most cases, the walk from math to P.E. was a mundane trip. So, upon hearing the sound of shouting and the sight of a crowd balled up together, Kevin was excited.

"About time we had a fight." He raced to the courtyard near the double doors of the gym. He shoved past all the crowded students without remorse. As he neared the fight he could hear the assailants shouting gay slurs. It slowly came into focus- arms and legs all concentrated in one spot, on one person. Kevin rolled his eyes. It was just a bunch of guys against some nerd. How disappointing. A fight was worth watching when it was two evenly matched opponents duking it out. He had almost been late for class over nothing; not that he would be marked absent- coach loved him.

He turned to wade out of the crowd when a yelp emitted from inside the mob. Kevin stopped. He recognized that noise. He had heard it last summer amid a blazing fire. His skin broke into sweat, remembering the humid air that night.

Suddenly, his stomach turned and heart pounded. His dominant hand flexed. He remembered the sound because he _knew _who it came from.

"Double D!" he shouted, shooting like a bullet through the crowd of students watching - watching like he would have done, and not doing a damn thing. He had been in their shoes several times, and also in the assailants' shoes too. But at this moment, he hated every single one of them.

He pushed a fellow freshman out of his way and made it to the center of the ring. Double D wasn't in sight; the backs of the juniors beating him up were blocking Kevin's view. He assumed they were juniors because he recognized Matt, the quarterback on his football team. Matt had shook his hand the day of tryouts, and again, when Kevin had made the final cut. Kevin never imagined during those moments that he would be defending his friend against him. Nor he had imagined, specifically, punching him.

"Dude! What the fuck?!" Matt yelled, holding his nose.

Kevin flexed his hand, soothing the sting of impact from it. "What the fuck is right. Why the hell are you all ganging up Edd? What? He wouldn't do your homework?" he said snidely, buying time for his hand to recover.

"Just get out of the way. You wouldn't understand." Matt spat on the grass.

"He's a little faggot too. I bet ya he is." One of the other juniors, a blonde with a bad dye job, chortled.

Matt leered. "Heh. I have to say, Barr, I never took you for a cocksucker."

Undeterred, Kevin narrowed his eyes. "I'm not. I just don't like it when people pick on my friends."

He felt all eyes on him, perplexed that Kevin in his high status on the social totem pole had decided to defend someone on the bottom. And maybe, he thought, they stared because he had never interrupted a fight before, and who was to say if the circumstances were different that he wouldn't be a part of that pack of juniors hailing one lone kid with bruises.

Matt drew his hand from his nose. There was blood splattered over his fingertips and a line of red coming from one of his flared nostrils. "That how you gonna be?" He didn't give Kevin time to answer, lunging towards him, his accomplices joining in.

Kevin' first thought was _shit_. His second was to duck.

They all stumbled at missing their new prey, who dodged by them to stand next to Edd. The bullies turned, viciously, both parties constructing their next move.

"Kevin?" Double D's tiny voice inquired from behind him. The teenager was now visible without the punks loitering around him, and he was safely behind Kevin.

"Run, dork."

Edd stared blankly, trying to process the situation.

"Now. Before I chase you myself."

Sloppily, Double D stood up and ran through the crowd. No one cared who he was at that moment and let him through, their attention focused on a more interesting conflict.

"You're disappointing me, Matt. I expected better of our school's quarterback."

"Likewise, Barr."

Two of the other juniors parted from the group, coming at Kevin from both sides while Matt lunged at him directly. Matt was predictable, Kevin thought, but unfortunately faster. He stepped back, trying to dodge all three of them again, and fell, tripping over someone's foot. He had a suspicious someone in the crowd had done that on purpose. He slipped backwards and Matt's lackeys caught him, twisted him in their hold.

He squirmed and kicked, knowing what was to come next. Matt lopped him upside the face and launched another fist towards his right eye.

Pain and humiliation struck him down to his knees. Matt's lackeys had released him at the sound of teachers shouting for order. His gym teacher found him keeled over on the ground, holding his face. The biology teacher found Matt and his company trying to run away and was in the process of chasing them down.

"Are you all right?"

Kevin's gym teacher, Mr. Wickman, took him by the shoulders, and slowly lifted him up to eye level to check the damage. Kevin raised his eyes, his gaze drifting from his concerned teacher's face to Double D who stood behind Mr. Wickman, face swollen and body scraped and dirty. He looked terrible, Kevin thought, not realizing he looked just as bad.

His body ached but he refused to show weakness. He stood on his own, wobbly, but declining Mr. Wickman's help.

"Shouldn't you be in the nurse's office?" he chastised Edd.

"I felt it was necessary to request a teacher's assistance beforehand. Are you not grateful?"

The last sentence bit. Playfully.

"I was going to get him if you all just gave me a minute," he defended lamely.

"No you weren't. You looked like you were getting your tail kicked," Mr. Wickman said bluntly, then added, "I'll have to take you to the principal's office, Ke-"

"What?!" he snapped. "I wasn't the one beating up the dork. Hell. I saved his as-" He paused, remembering his teacher's presence, "-butt."

"But you were involved, and from the looks of Matthew's nose, also contributed some damage." As if to try and make things feel fair to his student, Mr. Wickman said, "Eddward will have to come too."

"Bullshit," Kevin cursed. Fuck that he was in front of the teacher, fuck that he was talking to him. This was bullshit. He looked to Edd, eyes pleading that he used his big words and good standing with the teachers to twist the situation. While Mr. Wickman did favor Kevin, he was still strict on him, and being the favorite just wouldn't cut it for a moment like this. Persuasion was needed.

"I would be happy to accompany you to the principal's office, Mr. Wickman. However, Kevin's injuries and my own don't concern you? It would be wise to let the nurse examine us for potentially serious concerns. There is plenty of time to have a conference with the principal. We shouldn't take more than an hour."

Mr. Wickman's eyes softened as he looked over Kevin's swollen eye. "All right. But I better see a note from the nurse's office when you get back."

"Certainly." Edd nodded then turned to Kevin, smiling, as if just moments ago his face hadn't been in the ground. "Shall we?"

Kevin followed him past the courtyard and back into the school. The bell had rung long ago, something they were both grateful for, as the less students in the hallways, the less attention they garnered.

They passed classrooms full of students, lectures echoing in the little rooms. Knowing no one could hear their conversation, Kevin spoke.

"Was what Matt said. . was it right? You're gay?" He felt it was rude to ask, but the question burned in the edges of his mind, for whatever reason. He pegged it as just curiosity, and was relieved that Double D wasn't offended.

"It was a lucky guess for him," Edd began quietly. "However, the other things he said were fabrications."

Kevin raised a brow. "What do you mean? Was there something else?"

Edd sighed, pressing his thumbnail against his index finger. "While I was changing in the locker room, he claimed I was staring at him. It did not end there. Later, in the courtyard where you found us... he said I rubbed my...," he hesitated, turning pink. "...My behind against his friend."

"Dude. I can't imagine you doing either of those things." Kevin smiled crookedly and joked, "I always thought Matt was full of himself but not enough to lie about another guy checking him out."

Edd covered his mouth to laugh, then coughed, suddenly grabbing his sides. Kevin reached to help Edd (how, he wasn't sure). Edd raised a hand, signaling he was all right.

"Okay. I guess no jokes for now. So where're the other dorks? Haven't seen them around all year." He assumed the answer would be that they had different schedules, not what Double D told him: that Ed and Eddy had failed eighth grade. It had surprised Edd too, as they had kept it a secret all summer.

"Maybe helping me with the bike kept you distracted," Kevin said and Double D nodded, very sure that was the case. Otherwise he was astute in his observations.

They walked slower to draw out their conversation. While it was possible that they could speak in the nurse's office, their privacy couldn't be guaranteed.

"You know, you can hang out with me, Rolf, and Nazz. If you want," he said, adding the last bit as insurance, in case he was being too forward.

"Unfortunately, you and your friends don't share the same lunch hour as me. I considered it before, believe me." Edd grimaced at his friend's concern. "Einstein and Carl Sagan have been keeping me company."

The nurse's office was in sight and Kevin stopped. Edd's steps hitched after his and he shifted back, eyes questioning. Kevin was rummaging in his pocket, deepening Edd's curiosity.

"I meant to give you this before school started."

Edd couldn't believe what was placed in his palm, eyes widening. "But this is-"

"A gift. Take care of her, okay?"

In his hands was the remains of the beaten-up handlebar from Kevin's old bike, kept safe in his pockets, a constant memory of his childhood. He held Kevin''s everything in his hands: his pride, happiness, and his memories, all compiled in rust, metal, and melted silicone.

Edd's hands shook; his heart paused, then bloomed, beating rapidly. "But why?"

"Don't be afraid to say hi, okay? Or ya know. . . hang out. Ask for help. It's probably lonely without those other dorks- even with what's-his-face's company. . .Carpal San?"

"Carl Sagan. He was an astrophysicist," Edd corrected, looking between the piece of the bike in his hands and its owner. Kevin scratched the back of his head, his gaze bouncing wildly over the lockers and classrooms, anywhere but at Edd's face.

"Look. You gave me a new bike. So I'm giving you this." He couldn't exactly explain _why _he had chosen to repay Eddward with the memento, too embarrassed to disclose the details. He saw the dork as the first person to understand him and his obsession with bikes. While Kevin was insecure about what people thought of him at times, his bike was the only exception. He didn't care what people thought about him and his bike. He loved his bike that much. Still, it had stung when Nazz rolled her eyes at him when he gave it a wax job, and even Rolf had made comments which he didn't particularly understand. Something about his momma's feet and Hecter. The tone was enough to give away the derisive meaning.

Of all the people in the neighborhood he never expected to trust his bike with, Edd was probably the most unlikely. The piece had fallen heavily out of his hands and his pocket suddenly felt empty.

But he knew that 'she' was safe with him.

X

Kevin's behavior confused Edd, who thought that the jock would abandon him once he'd learned about Edd's sexuality. Edd had examined the other teen thoroughly, and knew that he valued his social status nearly as much as his bike. But Kevin had not only defended him, but continued to befriend him, knowing he was gay.

Had Kevin changed without him knowing?

He turned the rusted handlebar over in his hands, staring, searching for answers, but finding none.

X

LATER Note

During the fight, the comments on his sexuality were easily brushed off but in calm surroundings, where his mind was left to wander, those comments, though just memories, mortified him.


	6. Chapter 6

**-Sophomore Year**

"Check it." Eddy held up his history test, an A minus circled in red at the top right corner.

"That's great, Eddy!" Double D beamed, taking the test in his hand to take a closer look.

Eddy shrugged his shoulders, playing nonchalance as he rubbed his curled fingers against his shirt, unable to hide his smugness.

"Double D! I got a smiley!" Ed looped under Eddy's legs, topping him over in a forced game of leapfrog. He held his own history test in his teeth.

"How wonderful. . ." He looked uneasily at the test at first, perturbed by Ed's way of showing it off to him. Hazel eyes rested on the very center of the test. It was blurry from all the drool but an unmistakable 100% was written in red ink next to a smiley face sticker. Double D wondered if Ed really worked hard more for the sticker than for the actual grade. Nevertheless, Double D was happy that his friends were a little more serious about school after they had repeated the eighth grade last year.

He knew they had missed him, and there was the shame in that compared to Double D, Ed and Eddy were freshmen. When they told him they were planning to go to summer school to catch up, Double D hadn't taken them seriously and had checked to make sure it wasn't April first. But it was true.

Eddy dusted his clothes as he rose, growling in the back of his throat in irritation. He resisted yelling at Ed, one of the telling ways that he was maturing. He saved the brunt of his annoyance for Sarah and occasionally Kevin. Kevin had started ignoring him when he flew into screaming fits (for the sake of his friendship with Double D), which ironically, made Eddy quit giving them. Yelling was pointless if no one paid attention to you.

"I see my tutoring sessions were beneficial." Edd said proudly, crossing his arms and nodding in satisfaction.

"Whatever," Eddy said. "Where's my jawbreaker?"

"Now, now, Eddy. Knowledge is its own reward," Double D teased then rifled through his bookbag.

Bribery hadn't been needed to make them hit the books, but Double D did believe in positive reinforcement. Offering jawbreakers as an incentive to finish homework and an hour of study had helped Ed and Eddy pull through what they felt was drudgery. To Edd, it was like going to Disney World to receive his reward.

He set a blue jawbreaker into his friend's eager hand. Ed simply spat out his test and lolled his tongue out. "Please make your deposit."

Edd cringed and reached in his back pocket for his handkerchief. He took Ed's hand within the safety of the cloth and dropped the candy orb into his hand.

"All right. Only one more class to go and we're free guys," Eddy said, slinging his arms around the two. "So we gotta celebrate. How abo-"

"Um, Eddy." Double D raised a finger to interrupt. "I have an important test to study for tomorrow."

Eddy's eyes narrowed. "Like you need to study. C'mon, Sockhead! Live a little. You've been busting your butt helping us and working on your own stuff."

Edd fiddled with his fingers, nervous at the thought of not studying the night before a test. "Very well. If you insist... but only an hour's worth of play. Then I must go home to prepare for my Anatomy and Physiology test."

"Dude. If I had that brain of yours I wouldn't study at all." Eddy poked Double D's head as he said this. As extra insurance, Edd gripped the edges of his hat, frowning.

"I can attest that my academic capabilities were borne mostly from dedication to the very studying you seem to abhor."

"Harbor!" Ed chimed in, rhyming the last word to his sentence.

"Whatever." Eddy shrugged, a usual punchline to anything he didn't understand or cared to discuss further.

The two minute bell rang.

"Remember. We meet at my house. We're going to party, guys." He pointed both fingers and waved them like pistols as he parted for Freshman Composition.

"Another day. Another dollar," Ed randomly contributed, running off.

"Wait, Ed!"

Ed stopped.

Edd pointed to the left. "You're going the wrong way."

He flew past him, now in the correct direction.

Edd sighed, and made the rest of the way to his Biology class which was only two doors down. Upon entering the room he saw that there were only seven students sitting at desks. As usual the rest of the class was conversing outside, waiting until the last minute.

He sat in the front per usual and meticulously took out his notes, class book, and a finely sharpened number two pencil. He set his desk as if it were a fancy dinner table, with everything in its proper place.

His pencil stirred when someone dropped their bag next to him. He raised his head, meeting Kevin's eyes as he sat down next to him.

This surprised Edd. Even though they were friends, Kevin never sat next to him. He said he hated sitting in the front row. It made him self-conscious. Edd knew the real reason- he was reading Sports Illustrated during the lecture, sneakily tucked into his Anatomy and Physiology book to trick the teacher. Edd wasn't sure if this actually worked or if the teacher didn't care.

"Salutations, Kevin. It's not often you sit in the front row."

"Felt like having some company." He arched a brow playfully. "You gotta problem with that?"

"Only if you insist on reading rather than paying attention to the teacher," he said, a little too seriously.

"About that," Kevin said, midway through taking out his magazine. He chose to tuck it back in and took out his textbook instead. "I came here to ask you something." He tossed his bag to the floor beside his chair. "I need you to help me study tonight."

"That's rather last minute of you." Edd said sardonically.

"I know."

Edd didn't like the last-minute notice, and not for the sake of his own schedule- he needed to study for the same test and having a study partner would be practical. He was merely annoyed that Kevin had taken so long to approach him. Why had he done this? Embarrassment? It could only be that, he of all people knew Edd was always willing to help.

The teacher stood up and the bell rang as a gaggle of students stumbled inside.

"I will be at your house at five," Edd promised.

"It'd probably be better if I come over to your place."

"I'll expect you at five then."

X

Eddy's idea of partying had been a night at the bowling alley and treating themselves to the hottest wings the bowling alley's tiny kitchen had to offer. Edd was certain he didn't have any taste buds to spare. No amount of milk had saved them as Eddy shoved another plate towards him. Ed had spent most of that night calling himself a fire-eater. It was accurate.

Inside his house, the clock read 4:56. He had very little time to himself until Kevin would show. He licked his lips and his tongue burned. He decided that with that time he had he would brush his teeth.

Of course, it was halfway through brushing that Kevin rang the doorbell. Edd hurriedly spat, rinsed, spat again and dabbed his mouth with a towel before descending the steps.

"Coming!" he assured, steps away from the door.

He opened it, trying to catch his breath. Kevin was in the doorway, finger at the ready to ring the doorbell again.

And he did.

A wicked smile played on his lips to an exasperated and out-of-breath Double D. Tucked under Kevin's arm was his text book. There was the notable absence of a magazine. Edd was glad he was serious about this.

"I apologize. I didn't have time to make refreshments." Edd let him in, heading towards the kitchen.

"It's all right. I just ate." He shrugged. "But a water would be nice."

Double D took two waters from the fridge and set them on the kitchen table. Ever prepared, his own textbook and notes were already on the table. Kevin sat down.

"Is there anything in particular that you are struggling with?"

"All of it?" Kevin forced a hopeless smile.

"Perhaps your problem lies in trying to memorize the facts rather than truly understanding them," Edd offered. Anatomy wasn't as technical of a class as Math- one could get by on memorization, but only so far.

"Since the test tomorrow is on the circulatory system we will concentrate on that. I suggest we meet twice a week henceforth so you will be better prepared for your final." Edd opened his book to the chapter, which showed a close-up picture of blood cells over bolded letters. Ed had once called the cells 'donuts.'

"Well, to start off, the circulatory system consists of three independent systems that work in conjunction with each other: the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and the systemic."

"¿Habla inglés?" Confusion marked the jock's strong features.

"As they are commonly called: the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, arteries, and veins. They all work together as a sort of. . . transportation system. Yes!" Edd's eyes lit up at the analogy. "Imagine it as a trading system within the body."

"Dude. You're getting a nerd boner."

Edd shushed him. "You asked me to tutor you, mister." The gap in his tooth showed prominently as he smiled wide. "The 'cargo' can be several things- nutrients, oxygen, hormones. . ."

He stopped, noticing Kevin was staring at him, cradling his face in his hand as he leaned on the table. The expression on his face was curious, confusing Edd. It was unlike the bored or frustrated looks Ed and Eddy gave him during their sessions. Kevin looked like he was daydreaming, yet it was undeniable that he was giving Edd his full attention. It looked eerily similar to the passion Kevin expressed when it came to his bike.

Double D turned red at the parallel.

He inwardly shook his head, it wasn't possible that Kevin liked him as much as his bike. Not even Nazz had reached that high on his level of affection.

He swallowed, his mouth turning to cotton, his lecture on the circulatory system going dry. He took the water bottle and chugged too conspicuously. Kevin blinked, eyes going from the water bottle to Edd's red face. "You all right?"

Edd took the final swallow and cleared his throat. "It appears you already know the course material." He coughed, deciding to test the waters. "Could you tell me the real reason you insisted on meeting me?"

Kevin never was good at admitting he wanted to hang out with Double D over something important. He clamped a hand over the back of his neck, suddenly feeling sweaty and clammy.

"Heh. Yeah. I'm not actually failing the class."

"Being smart is nothing to be ashamed of," Edd said. If his guess was right, the sentence would lance through Kevin's mask. "It's easier to be oneself."

"I just don't want anyone to call me an egghead."

Kevin was cracking.

"And you prefer the term 'dumb jock?'" Edd raised an eyebrow. "You're a very complex character, Kevin." He slipped into his doctor voice. "You care what others think about you, yet you're friends with someone who is openly gay."

Kevin laughed in the back of his throat. "Like anyone is going to accuse me of being gay just because we're friends. I mean, I'm on the football team."

Edd bit his lip, the words slowly meeting the edge of his mouth. He closed his eyes and released them, hoping they snared but didn't provoke. "You still haven't explained why you're here."

The room grew quiet and their eyes met, irises flickering with nerves.

How ironic that they were studying for a test on the circulatory system. Edd could feel all the chemicals rush through his body, his pulse quickening in his chest.

His only relief was the possibility that Kevin's circulatory system had also kicked into overdrive for the same reasons his had. His heart pulled, and he ached to ask him.

It wasn't fear of rejection that stopped him, or shyness. He watched the way the corner of Kevin's lip twitched and his shoulders squared, suddenly creating distance between them.

Kevin wasn't ready to come to terms with his reason for coming over. Edd's eyes drifted, releasing them both from their locked gaze. Kevin had thought he was ready, Edd thought, but he simply wasn't. Edd bit the inside of his cheek, his tongue toying with the inside seam of his cheek. Was it right for him to have not pushed him, should he wait until he was comfortable with his feelings? And would he ever?

But most importantly, Edd wanted to know if he was right.

He shuddered to think he was getting ahead of himself, much like Eddy tended to do with his schemes.

For now, he would retreat, back into schoolbooks and studying. "Did you know the average human has five to six quarts of blood pumping through their entire body?"

Gradually, Kevin eased back into their study session, and though longing and questions burned throughout his body, Edd didn't detour from the subject.

For the first time in his life, he hated studying.


	7. Chapter 7

The June air was quiet and dry as dust. It persisted despite the air conditioner running and the fan spinning overhead.

Edd wiped his brow and sighed. This heat was incessant. Surely it was hotter than any summer they had ever had.

Eddward set his book down in his lap and looked up towards the window. One by one fireflies lazily blinked on, bobbing like air balloons. He slipped his bookmark into his book and clicked the night lamp off. The fireflies were the only light offered and he watched them in the envelope of darkness, feeling his eyelids grow heavy.

His eyes closed for all of five seconds when his cell phone buzzed and chimed for attention.

_Eddy_, he thought, then stood corrected at the sound of Kevin's voice, faded amid the sound of a crowd and music pumping in the background.

"Hello?" Edd said, slightly worried. Eddy and Ed always called him late but never Kevin. Kevin seemed to respect that he went to bed at this hour, school or not.

"Heeeey."

"Hello?" Edd said again as the other line went silent.

"Hey. So I'm at this party. . ."

The line went silent again, though the jumbled background noises remained, assuring Edd that the line hadn't cut off.

"And?" Edd rolled his eyes, starting to realize there was no point in this phone call.

"You have to come, man. I miss your face. You can take Jim if ya want. Hell, take the whole ant farm!"

"You know I have not interested in parties, and why would I take Ji-" Realization set in; if he weren't sleepy he would have caught on sooner. "You're drunk, Kevin."

"It was only three beers," he scoffed drowsily. "Please? Are you going to come or leave me hanging?"

"What is the address?" Edd hoped Kevin was cognitive enough to give it out.

X

If Kevin was sober, Edd wouldn't have taken the invitation. He knew Kevin drove his dad's car when he went out. The inebriated phone call had curdled his stomach. If Kevin felt stable enough to call someone while drinking, chances were he felt confident to drive as well. He had told him to stay put but he wondered if he would listen. Listening was hard to do while drunk, he had observed.

He knew he was at the right address at the sight of cars lined up along the street and a lone house whose lights were still on at eleven-thirty at night. He parked and walked around all the parked vehicles, only stopping when he came across the car Kevin drove.

He would need extra insurance in case he couldn't convince him. He popped the hood of the car and pulled all the wires from the spark plugs and distributor. Without the synchronization of the plugs, the car wouldn't be able to start. Edd couldn't help but smile at his cleverness.

His lips straightened as he headed toward the house. He had an inkling of what to expect and didn't want to see it.

The music came to him before he reached the door, and when he opened it it blasted his ear drums. The first person he saw was a girl with pink streaks in her hair.

"Do you know Kevin? Have you seen him?!" he shouted over the music.

He was relieved when she nodded and pointed over her shoulder. The sooner he found Kevin the sooner they could leave.

He stopped, seeing the other teen chugging a beer, and his frown deepened. His hands, hanging at his sides, tightened with resolve.

How many times had Kevin done this? How many times had he possibly driven while intoxicated? He remembered the summer before high school, three years ago, when he had chastised Kevin for not wearing a helmet. That had worried him. Thinking of him driving drunk infuriated him.

"Kevin." He placed a hand on his shoulder.

The redhead turned, smiling too wide, clashing with Edd's mood. "Double Dork!" He jumped to hug him.

For a moment, Edd's resolve cracked and he turned bright red, hands hanging uselessly in the air.

"Ke-Kevin?!" He suddenly pushed him away.

"You came."

". . .That I did. Now then, shall we go?"

He was grateful that Kevin agreed, though he was unprepared for him looping his arm through his and dragging him out of the door. Edd had never expected Kevin to be an overtly affectionate drunk, and while that was better than a violent or hysterical drunk...

It left him shaking.

He never prepared for this.

They found themselves at Kevin's dad's car. Kevin jumped in and motioned for Edd to join him in the passenger side, forgetting that Edd had driven himself.

"Why don't I drive us home?" Double D gently offered.

"Nah. I got this. Only had a couple."

"Didn't look like a couple. . ." Edd muttered.

"What did you say?"

"I said, by all means: drive." Edd said, starting to walk away, taking a slow and purposeful pace. He couldn't help but smile a little when Kevin started screaming obscenities at the steering wheel. He turned and watched him turn the key in the ignition over and over as well as hit the steering wheel in frustration. Of course, none of those worked with the sparkplugs unconnected.

Edd decided enough sneaky persuasion had been done and walked back to the car. "We could always pick it up tomorrow."

"You did this." Kevin glared. At least he was sober enough to add up the facts.

"Please, Kevin. Let me drive you home."

"No."

"Please," he said again.

"If I go home like this then Dad is gonna yell at me."

"You can stay at my house. Now please. Let's go." Red crept over his features again. "And don't give me that look. You're sleeping on the couch, mister!"

X

Half an hour later Edd parked the car into the driveway and Kevin followed him up the pathway towards the door, a little woozy.

"Double D. . ."

"Yes. . .?" Edd responded, searching through his ring of keys.

"I don't feel so well."

"Just a moment."

"I think I'm gonna-"

Edd blanched, looking up, but it was too late-

"KEVIN!"

He spread his arms wide, trying to avoid the vomit dripping all over the front of his shirt. His eyes were wide and pleading, as if to ask why of all things did this have to happen to him. Why did he have to get messy?

"I've been contaminated. . . filthy. . ." he said slowly, mind suddenly in a daze.

Kevin wiped his chin and watched as Double D opened the door solemnly, and without regard to him, ran up the steps, careful to not get any vomit on the carpet.

It was only when he came out of the shower with a clean set of pajamas on that he climbed out of his shock and realized he had abandoned his friend.

"Kevin?" He ran down the stairs, and sighed, his worry alleviated to see that Kevin had chosen to stay put in front of the television. A late night comedy show was playing, laughter bouncing off the walls. Kevin laughed dryly back at the screen.

Edd left him briefly, returning with a blanket and glass of water. "Remember to use the coaster," he said, hoping he would. He had enough to worry about now and he didn't want to add ring marks on the table to that list.

"I'm going to bed," he announced, lowering the volume on the television. Kevin glared at him briefly for that, but his expression softened, and he took a drink of water.

"Night," he said, sounding a little more sober.

"You owe me a new shirt," Double D said simply and walked back to his room. Midway up the steps he added, "And breakfast."

He expected that to be the end of the hectic night. He lay in bed and glanced at the clock. The laser red digits said it was almost one in the morning. _So much for getting a full eight hours of sleep_, he thought and turned, pulling the covers over him.

The bed stirred and he felt someone's weight shift next to him. He shook, knowing who it was, and maybe. . . why he was here.

"Kevin. . . go to bed."

"I am in bed."

"Go to the couch." Edd clung to the covers. His body stiffened at warm breath against his cheek, his insides twisting at the smell of alcohol that pervaded with it.

"You're not fun," Kevin chastised, his mouth finding the spot where shoulder meets neck.

The sensation warmed over Edd and rooted him to the spot. More kisses followed and he leaned into them, against his better judgment. He wished they were given in better circumstances: a sober Kevin, a certain connection. Real promises, not this vague, uncertain future. He was sure he shouldn't be condoning his advances. But he was, gripping the front of his green shirt and pulling him closer, taking in his scent: pine trees and dirt, sweat with the added taste of hops.

Everything he had held back unraveled: this attraction, his desire, this hope that they could be more than friends. He had ignored it all, thinking it would never happen, forcing himself to be content with just a platonic connection.

Kevin pulled at his lips, teeth and tongue rolling against him. He slipped his tongue inside and tasted spirits and yeast and cantaloupe.

He feared that now that he tasted this, he wouldn't be able to turn back.

Kevin pulled back and nuzzled his shoulder, fingers searching underneath the pajama top. Edd squeezed his eyes shut and gripped his hat for security, almost afraid of where this was going.

And then, the large calloused hands stilled, heavy as dead weight around Double D's thin frame.

"Kevin?" he questioned, peering up.

A snore answered him and he suddenly laughed, careful to muffle it with his hand. There was a strange mixture of relief and disappointment swimming in his insides. He had wanted it, but not this way. Not with Kevin's judgement impaired.

He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake the jock, and went downstairs to sleep on the couch. He turned the television off and its soft glow faded, enveloping him again in darkness.

He laid down, and this time he fell asleep.

X

**A/N:** Next chapter is the last one. . .


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** It's the last chapter guys. Didn't think we would find ourselves there. Sometimes when I write a story the end seems unobtainable. I think without dee-cherrywolf's and my beta's support this chapter wouldn't have been here… Thanks everyone for putting up with me in my exercise to try and get more used to multi-chaptered stories. I'm happy if anyone enjoyed themselves on the way and I hope the end leaves you with a satisfied feeling like you ate a really nice piece of cheesecake!

(This chapter hasn't reached my beta's eyes but I'll update the edited version later. I'm just too excited to reach the finish line lol . )

X

Light and a blinding headache woke him up.

The red head groaned, rolling over on his stomach to bury his face into the pillow. He rubbed his face into it and covered himself with the covers but no matter how he lay, he couldn't keep his eyes closed. He was dizzy too, and unsure if that was from oversleeping or the hangover.

To make matters worse, he had to pee. He dreaded getting out of bed.

But he really had to go.

He took in a deep breath and threw the covers off of him, reminding himself to take slow steps, lest he feel like he was shattering in a million more pieces.

"Wait. How did I get here?" He blinked at the methodically organized closet and butterfly exhibit nearby. He looked left and found the ant farm there. He rubbed his temples, "oh right… Double D drove me here."

He paused, drawing together the events from last night.

"…oh shit. And then I threw up on him. I think?" He plopped back on the bed and ran a hand through his hair, mortified.

How does someone face another when they vomit over their shirt?

Kevin didn't have a clue, and he didn't want to learn right now or ever. His hands clenched around the strewn covers, then flattened. He stared down at the bed and the mussed sheets. His face turned cherry red and he covered his nose, "…and then we…" He forced himself to stand, almost reeling from the combination of a hangover headache and the aftermath of drunken mistakes.

"Shit." He hissed between his teeth. "I don't even remember doing it. Why do I remember all the stupid stuff I did last night and not the only thing worth remembering?!"

If he wasn't in Edd's room he would have kicked something. Very hard.

He sauntered to the bathroom to relieve himself, hoping that Edd was still asleep so he could sneak out.

Such plans fell apart when he ran into him on the hallway.

"Good morning, Kevin." Edd greeted quietly, of which Kevin's headache was thankful for.

"Mornin' Dork." He smiled lopsided. It was forced and somehow Edd sensed this, frowning for a moment.

"Although you were probably not aware of my terms at the time, you still have a obligation to uphold."

"Um…right. What?" Kevin scratched his head. "What the heck did I agree to?"

"To take me out for breakfast. We will pick your father's car up on the way home."

"Oh…" Kevin suddenly turned his attention to the carpet, embarrassment flecking his cheeks. "Yeah…all right."

"My, is that vasodilation I see, Kevin?"

This only made him redder, "NO! Wait… .what does that mean?"

Edd giggled, leaving Kevin to wonder where the dork got this sudden burst of boldness. Maybe it was his advances last night, though he only remember so much, he certainly remembered nuzzling his head under the dork's chin, and how it felt to finally kiss him.

Edd started downstairs, commenting that he had a voracious appetite. Kevin followed to stop him, managing to catch his fingers.

They both hesitated, faces steaming. Edd's hand shook in his, the confidence only moments ago evaporating.

"I'm sorry."

Double D bit his lip, "It's nothing you need to distress yourself with, Kevin." As if reading his thoughts- presenting a hypothesis he said, "… you fell asleep before anything else happened."

Relieved, Kevin started back into his usual smugness, "choice. So I get to be a real gentleman and take you on a date first."

X

"How long did you know?" Kevin made a stab for his flapjacks.

"I made a hypothesis when we were Sophomores… however it was inconclusive until last night."

Thankfully for them both the Waffle House had single truck driver besides themselves as customers. Edd didn't mind if anyone eavesdropped but Kevin probably would and he wanted him to be comfortable as they talked things out.

They had made smalltalk in the car ride to Waffle House, only delving into serious topics while perusing the menu. Food had a way of opening people up, easing them into their comfort zones.

Edd set his fork down for a moment and sipped his orange juice. "What I want to know is: why? Why did you keep it a secret for so long? You don't appear to be discomposed that you're not heteronormative or afraid of what your parents think."

Red brows knit, "Too many big words. Am I going to have to carry a dictionary around if we start dating?"

"I'm surprised you hadn't started beforehand."

He chuckled. "Well, to answer your question. It just wasn't anyone's business whether I wanted to screw girls or dudes. Second, I was afraid of what people would think…I guess. But, we're going to be Seniors soon. After that I don't have to see anyone who has a problem with it. So I guess I don't care anymore." He took another bite out of his flapjacks, syrup running from the corner of his lip.

Edd leaned over to wipe his mouth before he continued. "Third, I was just shy. All right." He crossed his arms and leaned back in the booth, "Don't make a big deal out of it or anything."

"And your parents?"

"Don't give a shit. I have two relatives that are gay. What about yours?"

"They said they knew a long time ago. Eddy also knew."

He pulled himself out of his slouching position, "then let's make it official."

"Are you certain?"

"Dork, don't test me. When I make my mind up about something, it's set. So you wanna date or not?"

Edd glanced around the tiny diner, the waitress was elsewhere and the trucker was heavily involved with his chocolate pie. He pushed his plate to the side, careful and leaned over the table. Words, big or small were abandoned.

X

**-One Year Later**

The garage rattled as the steel door lifted.

"You ready?" He grinned.

They walked past the jawbreakers strewn haphazardly in the garage. Double D wondered when Kevin's dad would ever decide to organize the garage, and if he should offer his services. His OCD distracted him from Kevin's question, forcing him to repeat it.

"I'm still not sure about this." He said, hugging his helmet.

"We'll be all right. You worry too much, dork."

The stopped in front of a red motorcycle, perfectly polished and bouncing off sunlight. It was Kevin's graduation present, and at this moment, the source of the statistics and fear running through Double D's head.

"Two months is a long time. I'm worried about Jim, Al, the Ant Farm…"

Kevin laughed and scooped him into embrace, "It's gonna be all right! Nazz is going to check up on them, and we all know she has experience babysitting."

"I just hope she can follow the instructions I left."

Kevin took the helmet from him and set it on his head. Snapping the chin strap into place he set his hands on his dork's shoulder blades. "Now you're just coming up with excuses."

"I could be using the time spent on vacation preparing for college-"

"We'll have all the time to study when college starts. I told you you're just looking for excuses."

He put on his own helmet and hopped on the motorcycle, patting the seat behind him. Edd took tiny steps towards it and hesitated again.

"It's dangerous." He said.

"Do you remember the first time we rode together? You were scared then too."

"That's different, Kevin." Edd narrowed his eyes.

"Could have fooled me. I remember how tight you were gripping on that night." He slid off the bike and walked past the sockhead, waving him forward. "Speaking of, I still have it."

Buried under boxes full of jawbreakers was a memory. The paint was faded, marking it's age. There were no cobwebs or dust coated on any of it's parts, and the tires were fully inflated, ready for someone to ride it.

"You kept it."

"Her." He corrected.

It felt like a decade since they had made the bike, and somehow, it felt like yesterday. Edd felt himself instantly transported back to his childhood, laying eyes on it. He still remembered when it was nothing more than a blueprint- an idea. An apology.

Kevin threaded his fingers through his.

A bridge.

"Do you still ride it?"

Kevin snorted. "Are you kidding? I couldn't if I tried. It's fucking tiny. But, it looked so much bigger back then."

"That it did."

"Well, we wasted enough time. So let's hop on and get this trip started." He pulled Edd back to the motorcycle, his current mode of transportation. Edd watched him mount the bike, fumbling with his fingers, thinking.

Before Kevin could coax him again, he felt Edd's weight stir the bike. A kiss dotted his cheek, "I'm entrusting you with my life."

The motor revved up and he gripped him like a vice. The world was slow and the wind whistled sharply as they drove past. Edd knew that by gripping so tightly he would make his arms stiff and sore later. But he didn't -couldn't- bring himself to loosen his nerves. The thought of doing so only made him tighten his hold on the jock.

The motorcycle pulled to a gradual stop and Kevin nudged him. "Open your eyes, dork."

Double D complied, apprehensive. He blinked away stars as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, and looked at his surroundings, confused. It seemed oddly familiar, but alien, wherever they were. It took him awhile to recognize that they were at the old factory on the hill overlooking the cul de sac. The factory was debilitated, abandoned since last year after an accident, yet the neighborhood hadn't been affected by it, strangely enough.

The view had changed after four years: the cul de sac next door to their's- Peach Creek estates had been under construction before. Now there were fully built houses and thriving families living inside them. Children were playing in the streets, though what game they were playing, they couldn't tell. They were too far away.

The trailer park had long been bought out and was undergoing renovation to be made into a part of Peach Creek estates. Lucky for the Kanker sisters, they had moved out long ago and last he had heard they had moved into an apartment closer to the high school. It was strange, seeing how much had changed in so little time. Edd felt like he should be an adult looking on fondly at the neighborhood but he still felt like a kid, watching everything around him move too soon. He hoped he would grow into his new surroundings, despite how rapidly they changed.

He wondered how his childhood would look two months from now when they returned from vacation.

"It seems so small." Edd said, surprised how similar the comment was to the one they made about Kevin's bike moments before.

"Yeah. I guess we outgrew it."

"One chooses whether or not to outgrow their childhood." Edd smiled.

"Yeah well, we can always go to bigger places and then come back. That's the cool thing about being an adult. I think."

Edd squeezed him, "you're being oddly sentimental."

"I'm allowed to change." His eyes shifted with mirth. "Or would you prefer if I started beating you up? I knew you liked it rough-"

"KEVIN." He warned.

He laughed, "you're such a dork. I was just teasing you."

"I know. That's why I scolded you."

Kevin started to rev up the engine again, "you ready to say goodbye?"

Together they waved down at the cul de sac. Edd clenched his arms around the athlete's abdomen and the bike whipped past the old factory, picking up speed as it reached the highway ramp.

Where was he going? He didn't know.

He did know, wherever that was, he was with _him._


End file.
